Nicknamed the "heart of India" due to its geographical location in India, Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state in the country by area. Madhya Pradesh (MP) state is situated in central India. The state is bordered by different states - to its northeast lies Uttar Pradesh, to its southeast lies Chhattisgarh , to its south lies Maharashtra, to its west lies Gujarat and to its northwest lies Raj
asthan. MP is popularly known as the Heart of India. MP's capital is Bhopal, which is also the largest city here. Madhya Pradesh is the second biggest state in India with a population of 72,597,565 (2011 consus), and hence it ranks sixth in India as far as the population is considered. Hindi is a standard language spoken in Madhya Pradesh. Besides that, people also speak various regional variants, which are also different Hindi dialects. Apart from all this, Malvi is spoken in Malwa, Nimadi is spoken in Nimar, Bundeli is spoken in Bundelkhand and Bagheli is spoken in Bagelkhand and southeast of the state. Other languages are also spoken such as Telugu, Gondi, Bhilodi (Bhili), Korku, Nihali (Nahali) and Kalto (Nahali), which the tribal groups speak. Because the Marathas had ruled this place, a substantial number of people speak Marathi here. Because Gujarat is very close to the state, many people also are familiar with Gujarati. Agar-Malwa became the 51st district of Madhya Pradesh, as per the decision taken by the state government. It started functioning from 16 August 2013, covering 2,785 sq km and having a population of about 4,80,000. The district of Shajapur was bifurcated for this purpose, and tehsils of Nalkheda, Susner, Badoud, and Agar were included in Agar-Malwa. Madhya Pradesh State Information
Capital: Bhopal
Date of formation: 1. Nov. 1956
Governor Ram: Naresh Yadav
Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Tourist attractions: Sanchi Stupa, Gwalior Fort, Orchha Fort, Khajuraho, Ujjain
Festivals: Gana-Gour, Ganga, Dashami, Hareli
Major dance and music forms Gaur Dance, Muria Dance, Relo Songs
Arts and crafts Wall paintings or bhittichitras; Chippas or hand-block printers; battubai dolls. Languages: Hindi
Size: 308,244 sq. km
Population (Census 2011) 72,626,809
Rivers: Narmada, Tapti, Betwa, Son, Chambal
Forests and wildlife sanctuaries: Bandhavgarh NP, Kanha NP, Pench NP, Indrawati Tiger Reserve, Kheoni WS
State animal: Swamp Deer
State bird; Paradise flycatcher
Major crops: Rice, wheat soybeans, spices
Factoids One half of Bhawani Mandi station on the Mumbai- Delhi railway line lies in Madhya Pradesh and the other half lies in Rajasthan. Pench and Kanha forests in the Satpura ranges, and Bandhavgarh in the Vindhyas, are all tiger reserves. of District 51